Gaia, a small African cat with black legs, celebrated her first birthday with some delicious delicacies.
The kitten, which may seem cute, is actually one of the deadliest in the world. The black-footed cat is the smallest wild cat species in Africa and is known for its murderous reputation.
Keepers at Utah’s Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City note how Gaia species have a 60 percent success rate when it comes to hunting, compared to other big cats, where a 20 percent success rate is the norm. hundred.
In a cute video posted to Instagram, Gaia can be seen searching around her enclosure for some carefully hidden cat treats as part of her birthday celebrations.
Gaia, a tiny black-footed African cat, celebrated her first birthday at Utah’s Hogle Zoo with some treats.
Despite its adorable appearance, it belongs to one of the deadliest cat species in Africa, known for its remarkable hunting skills with a 60% success rate.
The videos show Gaia searching for hidden treats and showing off her formidable teeth.
In another video released by the zoo earlier this month, Gaia lets out a huge growl in which her fanged teeth are clearly visible.
The video is appropriately captioned “When people keep calling you cute, even though you’re one of the deadliest cats.”
According to Hogle Zoo, black-footed cats can eat around 3,000 rodents a year in the wild.
Bob Cisneros, associate director of Animal Care, describes Gaia as a “quite a feisty cat” and a “mighty warrior.”
Currently, the young feline is maintained on a strict diet of ground bones, muscles and skeletal organs, and “the occasional mouse that has already been humanely euthanized through zoo distributors.”
Black-footed cats, despite being small, are agile hunters found in the arid regions of Africa, earning them the nickname “ant-eating tiger.”
The cat has been at the Utah Zoo for the past six months.
Gaia eating a bone, which is part of the strict and specific diet she follows.
Despite Gaia’s extremely modest appearance, black-footed cats are considered some of the deadliest cats in the world.
‘These guys are voracious hunters. They have a reputation for being a very ferocious cat,’ Cisneros said.
Despite their miniature stature, blackfeet can jump up to five feet in the air and six and a half feet away.
Black-footed cats are native to Africa and are mainly found in the arid areas of eastern Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. They are the smallest wildcat species found on the continent.
In Afrikaans, they are called “anthill tigers.”
Gaia is one of four black-footed kittens released from her litter at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas. Last October she was moved to her new home in Utah.
The zoo took her in on a breeding recommendation from the Black-Footed Cat Consortium.
Hogle Zoo already houses a male black-footed cat named Ryder who they plan to introduce to Gaia in the future.
“Introducing Gaia to Ryder, the male black-footed cat, is in the cards, but we will let these two feline friends get to know each other when Gaia reaches maturity,” the zoo said earlier this year.
Gaia will soon meet a male cat in the hope that the pair will reproduce
The friendly cat arrived at the Hogle Zoo in Utah in October
The animals can capture more prey than leopards in a six-month period.
They can also defend themselves against animals that are “eight times their size.”
Black-footed cats are experts at camouflage while hunting and also have a strong sense of hearing and night vision.
Although cats are avid hunters, their species was classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2002.
As of 2019, there are only about 10,000 black-footed cats left in the wild and 28 of those animals are found in North America.
“One of our goals is to raise awareness about the species as a whole, because we really need the public’s support,” said Hogle veterinary technician Janice Thompson.
‘It is the rarest African cat. We are working very hard to increase their numbers.
“Fossil Rim (in Texas) is very successful with their breeding program,” Thompson said.
“Part of that is because it’s behind the scenes and the cats have a lot of privacy.”